Study of Soil Water Retention Curve Characteristics of Goan Iron Ore Open-Pit Mine Slopes

Slope stability in mining operations has been a persistent challenge over decades, particularly as open-pit mining extends deeper with anisotropic soil materials. This issue is pronounced in several iron ore mines in Goa especially location near to offshore. The Goa region experiences moderate rainfall of 2500 mm–4000 mm and a coastline of 105 km, faces heightened concerns about the structural integrity of mine slopes due to heavy rains on offshore coastal deposits are subject to both physical and chemical weathering. The geological composition of Goan region includes greenschist supracrustal rocks, a remnant of ancient volcanic and sedimentary processes, with laterite capping residual hills, indicative of tropical weathering. High precipitation levels in this region significantly influence slope instability, often triggering slope failures through increased rainwater infiltration. It is widely recognized infiltrated water affects the shear strength properties of soil by altering soil water suction in unsaturated soils. This study uses different geotechnical laboratory methods to better understand slope stability failure patterns and predict the correlation between soil water content and matric suction in Goan iron ore open-pit mine unsaturated soils located nearly offshore mineral deposit.